Through A Mirror, Darkly
by Ultima Zaku
Summary: The Merciful Hero, the Weary Survivor, and the Unrepentant Demon. All are but three facets of the same person, split across vastly different realities, and their clash may herald the end of the world.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing. NOTHING!**

Evil Bastard Production Presents…

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**In A Mirror, Darkly…**

**Prologue: Escape, into the Great Unknown!**

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The barren land smolders and groans under the blazing sun. Tremors and landslides were a common occurrence, and the bones of the dead littered the once lush landscape of the Country of Fire. In the middle of it all lays the scorched ruins of Konohagakure, once the most powerful shinobi village in the world. Now it was gone, destroyed by its own thirst for conquest as the other four major powers allied themselves with each other. Now, what little semblance of peace left in the world vanished as the former allies fought with each other for the spoils of war. 

In the shadows of the cracked and broken faces of the Hokage monument rested two shinobi from the fallen village hidden in sound, the last of their kind. Blood covered the rags that they wore as clothes as one of them rushed to save the life of the other. Tears fell and mixed with the red ground as the ninja slowly realized that her companion cannot be saved; soon she would again be alone. She stared at the broken eyes of Uchiha Itachi as his lifeblood drained before her.

It wasn't fair. It was supposed to be their last excursion onto the harsh, unforgiving countryside. They were supposed to flee this wretched reality, to escape from war and hatred. Instead, she was forced to watch her husband dying, bleeding from the fatal wound of the rasengan, with nothing she could do to help.

It took them several years of painstaking planning and preparation, as well as the lives of hundreds of their comrades, but it was all worth it now that they have the tool of their salvation. With it they can finally leave the war-torn, godforsaken land that was their home, free to seek shelter in other realms of reality.

It just wasn't fair…

She made another attempt to heal Itachi, but was stopped by his firm hand. He shook his head, and told her to save her chakra. With a grunt of pain and effort he reached into the recesses of his cloak and withdrew a blood-stained summoning scroll. He gave it to his wife, and with his last breaths he told her how much he loved her. Before long his body lost its warmth, and she was left sobbing quietly besides her husband's corpse.

Hours later, with eyes red and dried, the bloodied ninja silently walked towards her old training grounds. For a moment she considered ending it all, to give up and lose all hope, but rebuked herself almost immediately. Killing herself was not the answer, and she was a fool to even consider it. Her sensei Orochimaru himself would knock her senseless as soon as she set foot in the afterlife.

No… her only course was to go through with the plan. Even if she last member of the rebellion, even if she was the only one left who believed in Orochimaru's mantra of Peace and Freedom, it was her duty to make his dream a reality, if not for herself, then for the others who died for what they believed in. With new determination in her eyes she quickened her pace to a run and shortly afterwards reached her destination.

With a tired sigh she dropped the scroll onto the ground and unrolled in it a circular pattern. After absolutely making sure that the scroll was in a perfect circle, she positions herself in its exact center and bit both of her thumbs. With both hands she draws the seals that will activate the legendary Route of Ages, as the sky beneath her darkened with nightfall.

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"Ahh… how the mighty have fallen…" 

Jiraiya, the Red Warlord of the East, smirked in victory as his eyes observed the freshly dug grave of his rival's star pupil. He wore a red tinted suite of armor, light enough for a shinobi, yet strong enough to withstand even the toughest Katon jutsu. His helmet sported a pair of horns in the front, with his wild, unruly hair hanging out back.

An eye patch rested over his left eye, and the loss of half of his vision was something he held against Itachi and the brat; after Jiraiya had blinded the genius Uchiha on a one-on-one battle, the girl had leapt out from out of nowhere and landed a lucky hit, destroying his left eye. That had afforded them a chance to escape his wrath.

In the following years the pair continued to be a thorn on his side, launching guerilla attacks that slowly demoralized his army. They never let up, until his former comrade Orochimaru, the foolish leader of the rebellious Sound, was killed by Tsunade, the Green Slug of the South.

The deed proved to be Tsunade's undoing as the rebels began to concentrate their attacks on her. Eventually, the infamous pair showed up and took her head, destroying the only major obstacle to Jiraiya's rise to power. However, the death of the old bat had left him as the only remaining Warlord, and thus the greatest target of the Hidden Sound Village.

He mustered his forces and swiftly crushed the rebel forces, burning the village to the ground, but not before the rebels took the life of Jiraiya's apprentice, Hatake Kakashi. It was a small loss to the Warlord, and he immediately took on another student, who carried on his predecessor's mission to hunt down the remaining rebels.

And now, the end is near. With Itachi dead there would be no one to protect the brat and she will soon be killed, or worse. It was no secret that Jiraiya was a lecherous pervert. There is no question to what he might do.

There was a rustle of rotten leaves, and the warlord turned around to meet the eyes of his student, Uchiha Sasuke, and two of his guards. They wore the standard shinobi uniform of the Red Army; red jumpsuit with a green flak jacket and red cloth mask. "Jiraiya-sama," Sasuke bowed down to his master, "I've located her tracks. Give the order, and I shall track the wench down and finish her."

Jiraiya gave a loud chuckle and patted the boy's back. "What eagerness, what loyalty! If only the rest of the troops were as eager as you!" Jiraiya glared at the guards, who flinched under his gaze. He turned back to Sasuke. "I knew I could count on you," He said, "It seems that the Uchiha are a worthy clan after all. Makes you wonder if the bastard behind me was your brother, eh!"

His words brought nothing to Sasuke's face, who was still awaiting orders from his master. "Very well then," Jiraiya turned back to face Itachi's grave, "Track the brat down, and trap her; otherwise, do nothing to harm her. Take as many men as necessary. I will follow shortly." With a brief nod Sasuke again vanished in a swirl of rotten leaves, taking along the two guards besides him.

With a derisive sneer Jiraiya kicked down the post marking the grave and spat on it. "I'll be enjoying your girl-meat tonight, bastard. Let's hope she enjoys it as much as I will." With a final chuckle he turned his back on the grave and disappeared in a swirl of flames.

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Finally, she was finished! Tired and dizzy from lack of blood, she dropped down on the ground. The lamp besides her had long since died out, and she had to use her unique… abilities to help her finish the runes. Around her was a very complex set of seals stretching about 5 meters in diameter from the edge of the scroll. She took a few minutes and waited for her strength to return. 

As she laid there, surrounded by what could possibly liters of her blood, it suddenly came to her that the sky no longer held the blue shine it once did. Now it only shone a bright red, a fact made all the more clearer by the approaching dawn. The fact did little to console her; it only served as a blatant reminder that the world she resides in is dying.

Realizing that the daylight would make her more conspicuous to her enemies, she forced herself up and about and assumed a meditative position in the center of the circle. She created a complex genjutsu to cover up both the markings on the ground and the scroll. Closing her eyes, she started to silently recite the ancient words that would provide her with a way to escape her reality.

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"Target acquired. Cover all possible exits and ambush points. Make sure she cannot escape." Sasuke eyed the young girl standing in the clearing. It was obvious that with the girl's skill she could have easily detected them and escaped, yet it puzzled the Konohan captain that the girl did not even flinch. 'Maybe the whore has given up on life,' he sneered quietly to himself. 

"Sir," Sasuke turned his attention to the voice of his subordinate, "All escape routes have been sealed. We await further orders." Sasuke smirked and gave the order. "Contact Jiraiya-sama and tell him that we have trapped the girl." The soldier gave a curt nod and disappeared. Immediately afterwards a bright light began to glow from above the clearing. Sasuke turned around and found his target floating among the swirling leaves, bathing in the light of the approaching dawn and singing words long forgotten by man.

"_sgaa audncl anwedk akcn asmqaiw mamda, amsakdnakda adjado dadojadj, andjai kdaope, aueacb,"_

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The pain was excruciating. The sensation of being torn apart and being burned form inside and out continually racked her very soul. It took all of her willpower to resist the urge to scream and interrupt the enchantment. Slowly, but surely, the ancient magics that had bound the forbidden gateway began to unravel. Above her, the air shimmered and the outline of a large hypercube started to reveal itself. She opened her eyes just a tiny bit open and took a little peek at the object of her salvation. 

'Just a little more… and I'll be free…'

"_aklassycnsa, shadyczn, adabdah, madrehkashadala, hcma,motanvakedela, ywbyaomc, aysajdb,"_

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Sasuke began to panic. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to do something, anything, yet he found himself frozen to the spot. He was entranced by the beautiful yet violent display before him. It was then that he felt the cold and calloused hand harshly grabbing his shoulder. 

"**_gahenahumeta, ahdmoeld, handkale, malokorak, jjdkakemflac, ajdofmmma, nagejvvols, waj, abhelk,"_**

"What the hell? Dammit, Sasuke report!" Jiraiya was livid. His loyal student stared dumbly at him and could not find the words, or the willpower, to speak. The Warlord had never expected for this to happen. He knew that his teammate was one of the greatest seal masters of all time, yet he had neglected to consider the possibility of THIS! A jutsu that can shift dimensions! He realized that this was what Orochimaru was after all along.

"**_takushu, marada, hadukenosa, tuenskatoyuisk, andkaiwoma, quertomadoro, matefatir, anosonabasa,"_**

He had gravely miscalculated the intents of Hidden Sound. For all 15 years of its existence he had assumed that their primary goal was to take back the land that had once belonged to them. He assumed that Orochimaru again wished to rule as the rightful leader of the land of fire. He believed this because it was what he would have done in Orochimaru's stead.

"_VAMINOSAJH, AJDUE, ANDJLA, YABADIN, SAKURAAN,"_

'Orochimaru tricked me after all! He knew he could never win against me, so he found a way to escape me instead! That damn dead last managed to pull one over me!'

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"_STADALAKA, SERUSUMADUN, KADAN TORIDAS!"_

The burning sensation has long since ceased, replaced by the gentle, welcome glow of the morning light. She felt weak, but nonetheless she forced her eyes open and gazed upon the face of perfection; a flashing, azure, translucent hypercube, floating free above her and bathing her in healing light. She felt herself slowly floating towards it, and she welcomed the gentle pull exerted towards her. A harsh shout broke the calm, and she turned her head to direct her attention to the people below her.

She saw the object of her hate, the vengeful Jiraiya, yelling at the top of his lungs and wildly shaking his fist. She didn't know how, but somehow she knew not to fear him anymore, silent voices whispering that she will not come to harm. Besides him stood her brother-in-law, scowling vengefully as he watched her rise up to the sky, his trance broken and forgotten.

She smiled softly as she turned back towards the light. She felt safe, even though she knew not what awaits her beyond the door. Hopefully, it would at least be a better place to live. With her fallen friends and comrades in her mind, she looked towards the scroll and read out the last line.

"_**THUS SHALL IT BE!**"_

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**To be continued...**

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Our heroine has indeed escaped the perverted despot, but what awaits her in this new world? And why does it feel so similar and yet so different to the home she once knew? 

_Preview: Chapter 1: What...The... FUCK!_

_"Wha.. what?"_

_Deep inside the lush woodlands of the Land of Fire, in the center of a somewhat torn clearing, surrounded by a large, burnt ring, laid the Yondaime's Weapon. She had awoken to a powerful headache, her body weak and tingling from the strain of her travel across the boundaries of reality. Groaning with effort, she struggled to stand and open her eyes. After a few brief moments of pathetic weakness, she succeeded, and took in a sight that brought tears to her eyes. _

_"So… beautiful…" _

_To her it was indeed a wonder to behold. Whereas the forests of her land were burned and stripped bare, this land had the richest and most bountiful collection of plant and animal life she had ever seen! To her, the Konohan forests were paradise. With newfound strength, she shakily stood up and took in more of her surroundings. _

_She noticed very quickly that she was not alone. _

_A group of figures made haste and surrounded her before she had a chance to even blink. Upon closer inspection she immediately deduced that they were ANBU; they had the same style of clothes, used the same tactics, and even had the same skill level as far as she was able to tell. The only difference was that they used porcelain masks, unlike the cloth masks her people used. _

_The strongest of the ANBU stepped forward and drew out a kunai, only to be stopped by a loud commanding voice. _

_"STOP!" The girl turned around, and gazed upon the one person she feared the most. Quivering with unspoken horror, her knees buckled and she fell to her bottom. Tears began to fall freely from her eyes, and the stench of bodily waste started to fill the air. She raised her shaking hand and pointed to an old man, wearing the unmistakable robes of the Hokage himself, walking slowly towards her. _

_"NO! YOUR'RE DEAD! WE KILLED YOU!" Her voice loudly pieced the calm air. She started to hyperventilate, her vision fading fast. She had only time for one more thought before falling to the darkness. _

_'The Butcher, he's alive!'_

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Come now, don't be like that! Please review, my dear readers, and tell me what you think! I'm sorry I still haven't updated Shinobi Extraordinaire, but I'll get right on it! 

I PROMIIIIIIIISE!


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